Flush mechanism for toilets



1960 c. s. EDDOWES Q 2,949,614

FLUSH MECHANISM FOR TOILETS Filed Dec. 17, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l F/'g./ 4 i Cecil 5. E ddowes 1N VEN TORv 1960 c. s. EDDOWES 2,949,614

FLUSH MECHANISM FOR TOILETS Filed Dec. 17, 1957 2 SheetsSheet 2 4 Fig. 4

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United States FLUSH NLECHANISM FOR TOILETS Cecil S. Eddowes, San Isidro, Lima, Peru, assignor to Guardian S.A., Lima, Peru, a corporation of Peru Filed Dec. 17, 1957, Ser. No. 703,305

'4 Claims. (Cl. '4--57)l Serial No. 539,544 which was filed on October 10, 1955 (now Patent No. 2,836,829) and, for all significant subject matter common to this and the referenced copending application, I claim the benefit of the early filing date thereof.

An object of the present invention is to provide structural improvements and functional advantages in flush tank mechanisms and more particularly to the valves thereof.

Other objects and features of importance will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a typical flush tank having a mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention disposed therein.

Figure 2 is a top view of the structure in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure l and showing principally one of the valves of the flush tank mechanism.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 2 and showing principally the diS- charge valve of the flush tank.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 5.

In the accompanying drawings there is a flush tank 10 of standard .construction. This flush tank has side walls 12, a bottom 14 and a lid 16 and exemplifies but one of the several types of conventional flush tanks. The principles of the invention are applicable equally well in all types of commercially available flush tanks. As in the majority of flush tanks, there is a water inlet pipe 18 connected by a sealed fitting 20 to an inlet stand pipe 22 in the flush tank 10. Valve 24 is attached to the top of the stand pipe 22 and is made of a housing 26 that has a nipple 28 at its lower end threaded on the upper threaded end of stand pipe 22. Housing 26 has internal threads 30 at the open top thereof within which water conducting bonnet is threaded. Plate 34 is interposed between the threaded end of bonnet 32 and a shoulder 36 in housing 26. Passage 38 is in the plate 34 and a tapered seat 40 is formed as a continuation of passage 38. Valve member 42 at the end of valve stem 44 is movable in the chamber enclosed by housing 26 and is adapted to be seated and unseated from seat 40. Stem 44 is passed through passage 38 and through an aligned passage 46 in the top wall 48 of bonnet 32.

The bonnet has a short conductor of water 50 by which refill pipe 52 is registered with the interior of the water conducting bonnet. A smaller diameter pipe 56 is attached to conduit 50 and extends to overflow pipe 58 which operatively connects to overflow fitting 60 (Figure atent 5) adjacent to the couplings which connect the fitting 60 with the bottom of the flush tank.

Valve stem 44 is actuated by a yoke 66 whose arms'68 straddle lever 70 and whose body has the stem 44 threaded thereinto. Lever 70 has one end mounted on a pivot pin 72 that is located between the upstanding brackets 74 of bonnet 32. The yoke has its side 68 flanking the lever 78, and pivot pin 76 is passed through sides of the yoke 66 and through an opening in the lever. A pair of guides 80 are attached to bonnet 32 and are located on opposite sides of lever 70, constraining the travel of the lever. Arm 81 is fitted in a socket 82 at the outer end of lever 7 0 and forms a continuation of the lever. The float 83 of the flush mechanism is on the outer end of the arm.

The flush operating rod 84 has a number of holes 85 in it to which chain 86 is secured. The chain is connected to the valve element 87 and has a rod 87a passed through the valve element and connected to the chain, as by ring 8712. A weight, for example, ball 88 is at the end of rod 87a and is adapted to contact the guide 89 that is supported by three arms extending transversely across the outflow fitting 68. Ball 88 prevents inadvertent separation of the valve element 86 from the outflow fitting 60.

I have an improved rubber or elastomeric valve seat 90 in the outflow fitting. The valve seat has a cylindrical lower portion 91 which has arms 89a and it fitted deeply into the outflow fitting 60, and a cup-shaped upper portion 92 with a number of holes 93 in the side wall thereof. The lower cylindrical portion 91 has apertures 93a that register with pipe 58 to permit possible overflow water to escape without obstruction. Element 87 is fitted in this portion of the seat. Accordingly, the valve element 86 which is a standard flush ball, has smooth rubber or rubber-like seating. This offers the advantage of no corrosion or development of uneven encrustations which damage the fiush ball and eventually prevent a perfect closure. The seat 90 is easily removed for cleaning.

I consider the seat 90 as a distinct improvement over commercially available equipment and also the extension of rod 87a through the flush ball or valve element 86 and through the guide 89 for the purposes described. I also consider my valve construction shown in Figure 3 to be novel and much more dependable and smoothly operative than others which I have experienced.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a flush tank which includes a stand pipe, a fioat operated valve operatively connected with said stand pipe, the improvement comprising an outflow fitting which has a seat disposed in it, said seat composed of a resilient material and having a cylindrical portion and a cupshaped portion whose side wall is flared outwardly, a circular edge at the juncture of said liner portions, a flush ball having an outwardly sloped lower wall and movable between seated and unseated positions in the seat, said ball when seated making a line contact on said edge, said flush ball having side walls sloped in the same direction as said ball with the angle of slope being more acute than the slope of said seat side walls so that a portion only thereof contacts a portion of the laterally adjacent side walls of the cup-shaped portion of said seat.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein there is a transverse group of radial arms integral with the lower part of said resilient seat and having an aperture at the juncture of said arms, a flexible mechanical element supporting said flush ball, said element having an extension lthereof passed through said flush ball and through said aperture in the arms of the outflow fitting, and means on J said extension adapted to contact a part of said fitting for limiting the extent of travel of said extension and flush -ball with respect to said fitting thereby preventing inadvertent separation of the flush ball from the fitting.

3. In a flush tank which has an outflow fitting, a flush i ball having a convex side wall, a resilient liner in said outflow fitting and having a lower cylindrical portion disposed in said fitting, said liner having an upwardly opening cup-shaped upper portion adapted to accommodate said ball, said upwardly opening cup-shaped portion having a concave side wall forming a circumferential edge at the juncture of said cup-shaped portion and cylindrical portions, said convex side wall of the flush ball seating on said edge in the valve closed position and establishing "a line contact between said edge of said liner and said convex side wall, .a plurality of radially disposed and @transversely extending arms constructed of resilient material and integral with the lower end of said cylindrical portion of said liner, said arms having an approximately central juncture provided with an aperture, guide and stop means extending downwardly from said ball and extending through said aperture so that said arms resiliently guide the travel of said ball as it is lifted and lowered from said liner and constitute a yielding stop to limit the extent of upward motion of said ball when said ball is being lifted from said liner.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said concave side wall of said liner has a water passage opening therein located above said circumferential edge at the juncture of said cup-shaped portion and said cylindrical portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Minella May 6, 

